The Ukraine analogy seems to me backwards. Here, Israel is Ukraine. The entire Arab and Islamic world is monolithic in its support for Palestine and rejection of Israel's legitimacy as the world's lone Jewish state on a sliver of its historical land. Israel is surrounded on all sides by enemies, armed and bent on its destruction. So, why isn't the rest of Arab world--after so much military, political and economic support to the Palestine cause over the decades--being called on to take in these "captive civilians?" Egypt gets a pass for saying no? Even after enforcing the Gaza blockade? Why are these Gaza civilians "captive," for that matter? Do they not overwhelmingly support Hamas? All the polls show that were an election to be held tomorrow, whether in Gaza or the West Bank, Hamas would win decidedly. Don't the polls also show decisive Palestinian support for armed "resistance?" I am not advocating a Gaza invasion, and suffering of innocents, especially children, is heartbreaking. But why is Israel expected to nourish and protect--regardless of any detriment to their own well-being--a population that wants nothing more than to see it annihilated? Is Israel really responsible for ordinary Palestinians being deprived of their "rights"? What rights do Hamas bestow on these citizens? They seem more captive by Hamas than by Israel. Hamas hides behind these same citizens and puts them deliberately in harm's way to achieve its political aims. They do this because it works. If Palestinians want a life devoid of war and the suffering it brings, seems like rejecting terrorism and foregoing aspirations to sweep the Jews into the sea and reclaim their old houses would do wonders to that end. Otherwise, the war rages on. What rights do West Bank residents enjoy under the PA? To ask is to answer. What rights to citizens of other Arab counties have, for that matter--especially minorities? And Israel, a tiny state living under constant threat of attacks like those just witnessed--in their historic homeland (and in which they are an indigenous population) is expected to hunker down and say, "Oh well, we would like to protect our citizens, but academics living thousands of miles away might think we've run afoul of international law. Guess we should let the UN handle it. They won't let us down." It is also worth remembering that Israelis also have nowhere else to go. By the way, if there is no sidebar exception for Israel in international law, why is there an exception sidebar for Palestinians to qualify as refugees, multiple generations after their displacement? Are the Jews who were violently displaced from across the Arab world (including Egypt) at Israel's founding (and their descendants just refugees living in Israel? As for US support for Israel--I hope it endures. Tough love is fine, differences in strategy and policy, fine. But if the US pulls its support, at the urging of those on the extreme right and left (who seem to share similar views on the matter) Israel will lose its only reliable friend and supporter in the world.
You wrote:'For which they should be held accountable'. Who should hold them accountable and how should they do it?
The Ukraine analogy seems to me backwards. Here, Israel is Ukraine. The entire Arab and Islamic world is monolithic in its support for Palestine and rejection of Israel's legitimacy as the world's lone Jewish state on a sliver of its historical land. Israel is surrounded on all sides by enemies, armed and bent on its destruction. So, why isn't the rest of Arab world--after so much military, political and economic support to the Palestine cause over the decades--being called on to take in these "captive civilians?" Egypt gets a pass for saying no? Even after enforcing the Gaza blockade? Why are these Gaza civilians "captive," for that matter? Do they not overwhelmingly support Hamas? All the polls show that were an election to be held tomorrow, whether in Gaza or the West Bank, Hamas would win decidedly. Don't the polls also show decisive Palestinian support for armed "resistance?" I am not advocating a Gaza invasion, and suffering of innocents, especially children, is heartbreaking. But why is Israel expected to nourish and protect--regardless of any detriment to their own well-being--a population that wants nothing more than to see it annihilated? Is Israel really responsible for ordinary Palestinians being deprived of their "rights"? What rights do Hamas bestow on these citizens? They seem more captive by Hamas than by Israel. Hamas hides behind these same citizens and puts them deliberately in harm's way to achieve its political aims. They do this because it works. If Palestinians want a life devoid of war and the suffering it brings, seems like rejecting terrorism and foregoing aspirations to sweep the Jews into the sea and reclaim their old houses would do wonders to that end. Otherwise, the war rages on. What rights do West Bank residents enjoy under the PA? To ask is to answer. What rights to citizens of other Arab counties have, for that matter--especially minorities? And Israel, a tiny state living under constant threat of attacks like those just witnessed--in their historic homeland (and in which they are an indigenous population) is expected to hunker down and say, "Oh well, we would like to protect our citizens, but academics living thousands of miles away might think we've run afoul of international law. Guess we should let the UN handle it. They won't let us down." It is also worth remembering that Israelis also have nowhere else to go. By the way, if there is no sidebar exception for Israel in international law, why is there an exception sidebar for Palestinians to qualify as refugees, multiple generations after their displacement? Are the Jews who were violently displaced from across the Arab world (including Egypt) at Israel's founding (and their descendants just refugees living in Israel? As for US support for Israel--I hope it endures. Tough love is fine, differences in strategy and policy, fine. But if the US pulls its support, at the urging of those on the extreme right and left (who seem to share similar views on the matter) Israel will lose its only reliable friend and supporter in the world.